ONE-POT SICHUAN SAUSAGE (OR ANY SAUSAGE) RICE W HERBS SALAD

ONE-POT SICHUAN SAUSAGE (OR ANY SAUSAGE) RICE W HERBS SALAD

THE ABUNDANT FAT AND JUICES FROM THE SAUSAGE WILL DESCEND GODLY AND SEEP DOWN THROUGH THE RICE BELOW, FLAVORING AND AIDING THE FORMATION OF THE HEAVENLY BOTTOM CRUST

If you follow my Instagram, then you’d know that I’m head-deep in rushing towards the finishing line on my cookbook. Yeah, I’m writing one, and this is probably the first time that I’m mentioning it on the blog, all very anti-dramatic and all. But I promise to talk more about it when the time comes.

For now, let me quickly leave you with a recipe, well more like a technique almost, that I think everyone who struggles with weeknight meals (or writing a book no less) should have in their repertoire. Inspired by claypot rice, here’s how to turn any type of fresh sausages and a few cups of rice into a one-pot, steaming, savory, fluffy and crispy wonder. If you have a few minutes to spare, you can prepare this sichuan-inspired sausage thoroughly studded with fatty guanciale bits (Italian cured pork jowl), burning with toasted chili flakes and tingling wtih sichuan pepercorns. Or, you can use any other types of your favorite, fresh sausages like sweet Italian, spicy Italian, or fresh Mexican chorizo and etc. Either way, the abundant fat and juices from the sausage will descend godly and seep down through the rice below, flavoring and aiding the formation of the caramelized, heavenly bottom crust. Then this steaming and comforting one-pot wonder is complimented by a scallion and tarragon salad cooled by a touch of Greek yogurt. If you’re anything like me, you don’t even need bowls.

MAKE SAUSAGE: (You can this with any types of your preferred sausages such as spicy Italian and etc). In a small pot, mix together olive oil, chili flakes, ground sichuan peppercorns, paprika, white pepper, ground coriander and ground cumin. Toast over medium heat until the chili flakes are turning dark in color and smells fragrant. Set aside to cool slightly.

Then transfer the spice-mixture into a food-processor along with ground pork (chill it in the freezer for 30 min before use), finely diced guanciale (or pancetta), grated garlic, grated ginger, fish sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, apricot jam and cornstarch. Start pulsing the mixture until evenly mixed, then add the iced water one tbsp at a time while pulsing continuously. Once all the iced water is added, the mixture should feel slightly springy. Set aside.

TO COOK THE RICE: Rinse the rice inside a large sieve until the water runs clear. In a large cast-iron skillet, combine the rice and beef stock (or chicken stock) and set over medium-high heat. Put the lid on to speed up the cooking process, but come back to check on it every 5 minutes or so. Once you see that the liquid has been absorbed by the rice to a point that it has receded BELOW the rice (meaning the rice is no longer submerged in liquid), turn the heat down to low.

Now add the prepared sausage on top of the rice in large dollops without disturbing the rice, then use a spatula to smooth the top so that it seals the rice. Put the the lid back on and maintain the heat on medium-low, and cook for another 15 minutes.

Now remove the lid, and you'll see that the sausage "cap" has shrunken slightly, and there may be juices that are collected in puddles. Tilt the pot so the juices can escape to the bottom, and continue to cook without lid for 5~6 minutes until the sides and bottom of the rice is crisped up.

If you have a blow-torch (and you should), I like to torch the top surface of the sausage cap until caramelized and slightly charred, for another layer of texture and flavor.

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Thanks for sharing, I made this three days ago and I like it more after warming it up the next day and then the next. I added a pan fried bean patty to it and then a fried egg the following day. Happy feasting.

Samantha W

Valerie

Really good ! The kitchen was smelling so good when we were cooking this ! I thought that 3 cups of rice was a lot so I only used 1 1/2 cup but it was a mistake, I should have followed the recipe ;) . It’s the first one we are making from your blog. Thanks for sharing !

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ABOUT THE LADY, THE PUPS, AND BEYOND

Hi, I’m Mandy Lee, Taiwan-born, Vancouver-raised, and slow-aged in New York for the better part of my life. Until moving to Beijing where, out of sheer desperation and agony, I started Lady and Pups – an angry food blog in 2012, my misery outlet where it marked the beginning of my pre-midlife crisis. If you don’t know what it’s like to move from NYC to China… anger doesn’t even cut it. This little project is a phoenix rising out of the tormenting flames of living there with all its misery. So come share how I turned a lot of frustration and anger in a lovely meal.

You should know that I excel at giving unsolicited opinions. I love movies. I love traveling. I am a dog person, but only because I’ve never met a people cat. I’m also conflicted about whether pigs should be pets or SPAM, which makes me a hypocrite. I dream of having a…. READ MORE